A DRAFT law that would overhaul the voting system used in Bahrain Chamber elections is set for urgent review during Parliament’s weekly session today.
The bill seeks to replace the current capital-weighted voting table, introduced under the 2020 amendment to Decree-Law 48/2012, with a new structure that significantly reduces the gap in voting power between small and large companies.
Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee vice-chairwoman Zainab Abdulamir said the proposed changes aim to restore fairness and ensure proportional representation inside the country’s leading private sector body.
“The present system creates wide disparities between members,” she said.
“Our goal is to restore balance and give small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a fair voice in shaping the policies of the chamber.”
She added that the committee’s revised table – spanning 15 voting tiers – offers a ‘graduated, realistic and more equitable’ structure, especially for micro and small businesses that currently feel out-weighted by major corporations.
Under the draft law, the existing eight-tier voting table would be abolished and replaced with the 15-tier structure that assigns between one and 15 votes based on declared capital.
The biggest change reduces large corporate blocs’ voting leverage and lowers the threshold required for small companies to participate meaningfully.
According to the committee, the reform is grounded in three principles:
1. Restoring the historical model used by the chamber since 1939, arguing that the 2020 reform undermined SME representation.
2. Ensuring fairness and transparency, since capital increases or reductions should not determine a member’s legal standing.
3. Aligning with constitutional equality provisions, particularly Article 18.
“SMEs form the backbone of the economy. A voting model that sidelines them contradicts the spirit of economic participation we seek to reinforce,” said Ms Abdulamir.
The government strongly opposed the bill, warning that it represents an unjustified return to the pre-2020 framework.
Officials said the current table was drafted with full consensus from the chamber, the government and Parliament during the fifth legislative term, and was based on extensive studies that balanced the number of businesses with their economic weight.
They argued that no new evidence, complaints or market disruptions justify altering the system.
The Industry and Commerce Ministry added that no complaints regarding the existing voting table had been raised in chamber general assemblies, urging that any concerns should first be addressed through internal chamber mechanisms.
The chamber also rejected the draft law, stating that the present model gives SMEs nearly two-thirds of the seats on the current board.
Chamber officials emphasised that the 2020 voting structure reflects capital contribution to GDP and employment, supports investment attraction and provides stability in a globally competitive market.
They said constant legislative changes could harm Bahrain’s reputation and undermine investor confidence.
The Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Development Society, chaired by Ahmed Al Salloom, who is also a chamber board member, opposed the draft law, saying the current system already gives SMEs a strong weighting – around 67 per cent of total voting power.
However, the Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Association argued that the older model ensured ‘more equal and just representation’ for smaller traders and business owners.
The Bahrain Businessmen’s Association expressed mixed positions – supporting the draft law in one submission, but later calling for rejection of specific amendments proposed by MPs.
Meanwhile, the Bahrain Association of Banks urged maintaining the existing capital-weighted model, describing it as the most appropriate mechanism for private sector institutions.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))